The Great General
by Allocin
Summary: Han tells Luke and Leia of the HoloNet features about the heroic General Kenobi, one of the greatest leaders in the Clone Wars.


TITLE: The Great General   
AUTHOR: Allocin   
SUMMARY: Han tells Luke and Leia of the HoloNet features about the heroic General Kenobi, one of the greatest leaders in the Clone Wars.   
RATING: G   
CATEGORIES: General   
CHARACTERS: Han, Leia, Luke   
TIMELIME: ANH (with references to ROTS)   
A/N: Thanks to Fyre for the beta job. Also, a heavy nod to the ROTS novelisation, in regards to Kenobi and Skywalker on the HoloNet.   
DISCLAIMER: Star Wars, and all related products, is the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilms, 20th Century Fox, ILM, and probably Lego. I don't lay claim to any of the characters contained herein, I make no profit from this, and I mean no offense or insult to anyone. Please don't sue. 

The fight was over. 

Cruising along at lightspeed, the _Falcon_ was safe for now. Han Solo sighed and stretched, feeling the last of the battle-rush ebb from his body. No matter how he boasted, facing Imperial forces never got easier, and the last encounter had been too close for Han's liking. At least, he thought, they had got away in one piece. And then he remembered the old man, and swallowed thickly. 

Chewie grumbled, nodding back at the door. "Alright Chewie," Han replied, already rising. In truth, he was cold, hungry and tired, and was secretly glad to hand over the ship to Chewbacca's expert paws. "Hold this course. I'll be back later," he said, and strode out. 

The mess, his destination, was far more crowded than he was used to. The droids were there, thankfully shut down for the time being. At the table was Luke and the Princess. Han paused in the shadows, and debated going straight to his bunk. The last thing he needed was another fight with Her Royal Highness. 

His stomach decided for him, so, projecting an air of arrogant nonchalance, he strode past the two to dig out rations from the storage unit. 

"Hey, Han," Luke greeted with a nod, which the smuggler returned. 

"How're you holding up, kid?" he asked. The only spare seat was next to Leia, so Han pragmatically chose the chilly metal floor. The Princess pursed her lips in annoyance, but refrained from comment, and though he was grateful, a small part of Han was disappointed not to get a show of that fire he was beginning to like. 

"I'm okay," Luke said, though the look of misery on his face begged to differ. It was clear that the death of the old man was on his mind. 

"Your friend did a good thing," Han offered awkwardly, after a long pause. Leia glared at him, shifting closer to Luke as if trying to protect him. 

"That's not exactly helping," she snapped, causing that small part of Han to cheer. 

"Well excuse me, Princess," he shot back, "I wouldn't want to rain on your pity parade." They glowered at each other until Luke, caught between them, shifted uncomfortably. 

"Old Ben would be laughing at you two right now," he murmured sadly. Leia rubbed his arm. Chewing on a ration bar, Han tried to remember all he knew of the old man. It wasn't much. 

"What was his name?" he asked out of curiosity. The man had known a lot about Imperial starfighters – perhaps Han had heard of him on his travels. 

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke said with a wistful smile. Han's thoughts froze. 

"Kenobi? General Kenobi?" he asked in surprise. Luke and Leia shot him twin puzzled looks. 

"You've heard of General Kenobi?" Leia said, more a statement than a question, disbelief evident on her face. Han looked between them. 

"Of course I've heard of him!" he countered automatically, as if it were unthinkable that they hadn't. "He was one of the greatest leaders in the Clone Wars." 

"Ben was famous?" Luke asked eagerly. He edged closer to Han, eyes imploring that he tell all. Not that Han was exactly willing. He had already spoken too much about the man, who had clearly wanted to keep his identity secret. But then, Han reflected, Kenobi was dead, and this kid had nothing else left to him but the droids. After gaping like a surprised Mon Calamarian, Han visibly pulled himself together. 

"Well, he was about twenty years ago," he offered weakly. Leia, too, had moved closer, and it was the fact that her attention was solely on him that caused his tongue to loosen. 

"Tell me," Luke pleaded. Dinner forgotten on the floor beside him, Han leaned back against the wall, looking somehow younger when remembering the past. 

"General Kenobi was one of the greatest leaders of the Grand Army, back when the Jedi were put in control of the war effort. Where I lived … it wasn't exactly legitimate quarters, but we managed to hack into the HoloNet broadcasts for news reports." A small smile lit his features, softening his customary scowl, as he recollected the bulletins of General Kenobi's negotiations on the Outer Rim, his daring exploits and heart-stopping battles. Han had only been a small boy, easily influenced by the valiant Jedi Knight; it was the dream of every child in the galaxy to grow up to be General Kenobi or his partner. "He was called the Negotiator, and he was one half of the most infamous Jedi team in the war. HoloNet was always talking about Kenobi and Skywalker." 

"Skywalker!" Luke gasped, eyes wide. "That's my name. It must have been my father!" Han shrugged noncommittally. 

"Yeah, anyway, Kenobi and Skywalker killed the leaders of the Separatists, which should've ended the war. But then the Emperor declared all Jedi to be enemies of the new 'Galactic Empire'," he said with biting sarcasm. 

"Why would the Jedi be declared enemies?" Luke asked, puzzled. As Han struggled to find a way to explain – not his particular strength, he would readily admit – it was Leia who answered. 

"My father was a Senator at the time. He said the Emperor had been attacked by Jedi Masters in an attempt to take over the Republic," she said, but by the look on her face, neither she nor her father believed a word of it. 

"No one on Corellia believed it either. We didn't like the Jedi, but they wouldn't have taken over," Han agreed, surprising both himself and the Princess. It seemed their mutual dislike for the Empire was their common ground. 

"What happened? How did he end up on a backward planet like Tatooine?" Luke demanded impatiently. Leia and Han shared a sad look – they were both all too aware of the following tragedy. 

"By order of the Emperor, all Jedi were executed as traitors," Han said, with characteristic bluntness. Luke sat there, stunned speechless, hand gripping Leia's tightly. 

"I think Obi-Wan might have been the last Jedi to have survived," she said sadly. The truth hung in the room around them, heavy and oppressive, as Luke tried to come to terms with this shocking news. It was unthinkable that Ben, old Ben the hermit who managed to appear just when Luke needed him, was a wanted criminal of the Empire, and for no other reason than his beliefs. 

Han shifted, trying to restore circulation to his legs before rising. "I don't believe in the Force," he said, "but no one should have died when the war ended." That was as close to sympathy as Han was willing to offer, and he left the room with those words behind him. With a final pat on Luke's shoulder, Leia left also, intent on catching a little sleep. 

Alone with only the two recharging droids, Luke's thoughts tumbled in every direction. One shone out clearer than the rest, though. 

_If Ben was the last of the Jedi, then who will train me? _


End file.
